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With Disney World’s 50th anniversary only days away, Disney just added MORE excitement to the mix! The 50th is almost here! We’ve already seen a TON of new 50th anniversary merchandise in Disney World and we’ve seen some new 50th anniversary treats too, but now Disney has announced that a WHOLE BUNCH of NEW food and drink items will debut as part of the big celebration! As part of the 50th Anniversary celebrations, there will be over 150 new menu items and drinks, some of which will even feature EARidescent details! Over 150?! Better pack those stretchy pants! Some of the 150+ new items will include: Cheese Fries with Walt’s Chili at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Glimmer and Shimmer Pineapple Mousse at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, A Mission to Mars burger at Cosmic Ray’s Starlight Café in Magic Kingdom, An EARidescent Croissant Doughnut at EPCOT, An EARidescent Ice Dream Cone at Disney’s Blizzard Beach, A Chicken Dinner Cupcake Trio at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground, and A Magical Beacon Cocktail, which will be available at several spots throughout Disney World such as many table service restaurants, lounges, and pool bars. Happy 50th Anniversary!! Additionally, novelty items like 50th Anniversary popcorn buckets, new sippers and mugs too, will be available beginning on October 1st. Disney World 50th Anniversary Popcorn Bucket These items will continue to roll out across Disney World throughout the 50th Anniversary celebrations (which will last 18 months, so it seems we’ll have quite a bit of time to check out some of these new items). Our stomachs are growling at the thought of over 150 new treats in Disney World and we’re ready to start snacking and reviewing, so stay tuned to DFB for all your 50th anniversary food news! Here are photos and reviews for 50th Anniversary treats released so far! Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Details and Info Click HERE for Your Guide to Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration See Everything That Has Been Announced For Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Check Out Everything Happening in Disney World on October 1st, 2021 Click Here to See The 50 Best Ways to Celebrate Disney World’s 50th Anniversary What Does Hotel Availability and Pricing Look Like for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary? Here Are the 5 News Bombs You May Have Missed Related to the 50th Anniversary Celebrations! Check Out 10 Things You Need to Bring If You’re Going to Disney World for the 50th Anniversary See How Each of Disney World’s Park Icons Will Transform During the 50th Anniversary Celebrations! Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click here to Subscribe What do you hope to eat at Disney World’s 50th anniversary? Tell us in the comments! The post NEWS: 150+ NEW Food and Drink Items Will Debut for Disney World's 50th Anniversary first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

One of the best parts of EPCOT in Disney World is World Showcase, where you can enjoy “visiting” countries from around the world. Canada Pavilion In the Canada pavilion you can generally find shopping, maple popcorn, the Canada film, and the Le Cellier restaurant. During the EPCOT Food and Wine Festival Canada is also home to the Canada Booth and the Appleseed Orchard Booth. One Canada feature has been missing over the past few months, and now it looks like we finally have a return date! Over in EPCOT, tucked away toward the back of the Canada pavilion is Canada Far & Wide in Circle-Vision 360, a show featuring twelve minutes of beautiful scenes of the Canada landscape. Canada Far and Wide Sign The show has been unavailable since June 27th, and Disney hadn’t announced a set date when it would return. The 2021 EPCOT International Food and Wine Festival is currently using the Canada Theatre space for the Appleseed Orchard booth, so we expected that it likely would not return until after the festival ends on November 20th. Canada Far and Wide Sure enough, it looks like Canada Far and Wide screenings are set to resume on Sunday, November 21st! Times are currently showing for November 21st from 11AM to 9:45PM. ©Disney If you were hoping to catch a Canada Far & Wide showing, it looks like you’ll likely be able to watch the show starting November 21st. Of course, schedules are subject to change, so we’ll be on the lookout for more updates. Keep reading DFB for more Disney World news and information. Click here to see some absolute LIES about EPCOT! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Have you seen Canada Far and Wide? Tell us in the comments! The post Here's When Canada Far & Wide Could Reopen in EPCOT first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Have you been following the Stitch Crashes Disney collections this year? Stitch Crashes Snow White Collection in Animal Kingdom Each month, a new collection of Stitch merchandise has been released, each with a Disney movie theme. We’ve seen some really pretty items, a couple of slightly strange ones, and honestly some downright scary ones. The newest set of Stitch items is now available in Disney World, and we’re thinking it probably falls into the “slightly strange” but also kinda cute category! The newest Stitch Crashes Disney collection features the adorable Alien crashing into The Jungle Book. We recently shared that items from this collection would arrive at World of Disney today, September 27th, and now we’ve seen Stitch Crashes The Jungle Book inside the parks as well. The newest collection is here! We found items from the Stitch Crashes The Jungle Book collection in Magic Kingdom earlier this morning. If you want to snatch this Stitch collection, you’ll want to head to Star Traders in Tomorrowland. That’s where we spotted the Stitch plush and MagicBand. The plush features Stitch covered in jungle plants and silhouettes of Baloo and other characters… Stitch plush …and how could we forget about that banana on his head!?! It’s a banana! Apparently Stitch gets into the food of these Disney movies quite often, because we’ve also seen him covered in spaghetti from Lady and the Tramp… Stitch Crashes Disney …and cake from Sleeping Beauty. Make it pink! Make it blue! The back of the plush from the Stitch Crashes The Jungle Book collection has more of the jungle plant pattern with some dark green spots. A look at the back You can get the plush at Star Traders now for $29.99. The MagicBand has a jungle plant pattern on one side with silhouettes of characters from the movie. MagicBand On the other side, you’ll find the banana-topped Stitch hanging out near Mowgli and Baloo. Stitch MagicBand The MagicBand is available for $39.99 from Star Traders. A pin for this collection is also set to be released, but Cast Members at Star Traders told us it is not available in the parks just yet. We’ll let you know if we spot any updates on that. ©shopDisney Make sure to act fast if you’re hoping to buy from this new collection! We’ve seen these items sell out FAST in the parks and online in the past. Keep following DFB for more news about this merchandise collection and more. Click Here to See All the Movies That Stitch Is Planning to Crash Into This Year! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Do you have any of the Stitch Crashes Disney items? Let us know in the comments! The post PHOTOS: If You Love Banana Stitch, RUN to Disney World Now! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

There are more than 25 resorts you can stay in on Disney World property. But where, exactly, should you be staying on your next Disney vacation? And which resorts give you the most bang for your buck? Gorgeous lighting in Polynesian Lobby We’re going to be breaking down EVERY Disney World resort today and judging them relentlessly. (For the sake of science, of course.) Check out our video below where we Rank ALL of Disney World’s Hotels!  Are you a DFB Video subscriber? If you hit the button below, you can subscribe to our channel and catch up on ALL of our latest episodes! Check out our latest video and then comment below: What Disney World hotel is your favorite? The post DFB Video: Ranking ALL of Disney World's Hotels first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disney World’s 50th anniversary is THIS FRIDAY!! It will be here so soon! Can you believe it’s almost here?! After all of the anticipation, we’re finally going to get to see the new fireworks shows, new character cavalcade, and so much more. And the Cast Members are getting in on the celebration, too — they just got a new festive addition to their uniforms! We learned a few months ago that Cast Members would be getting new name tags for the 50th anniversary, and we just saw the first few make their debut in the parks! Sergio’s looking snazzy! Today is the first day Cast Members can wear the new name tags, which feature the same “EARidescence” that shimmers on all of the 50th anniversary decorations. This one goes so well with Juli’s uniform! Disney Live Entertainment graphic designer Brett Owens helped with the design, saying their team “really wanted to create a special way to say, ‘Thank you!’ to the cast, as well as give them something to have as a reminder they were here for this special time in our history.” A big thank you to everything Cast Members do! We love this new design — it really adds a special touch to all of the Cast Members’ uniforms! We’ll be on the lookout for more special additions for the 50th, so stay tuned to DFB for updates. Click here to see park availability for the 50th anniversary! Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Details and Info Click HERE for Your Guide to Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration See Everything That Has Been Announced For Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Check Out Everything Happening in Disney World on October 1st, 2021 Click Here to See The 50 Best Ways to Celebrate Disney World’s 50th Anniversary What Does Hotel Availability and Pricing Look Like for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary? Here Are the 5 News Bombs You May Have Missed Related to the 50th Anniversary Celebrations! Check Out 10 Things You Need to Bring If You’re Going to Disney World for the 50th Anniversary See How Each of Disney World’s Park Icons Will Transform During the 50th Anniversary Celebrations! Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click here to Subscribe What do you think of the new look of the Cast Member nametags? Let us know in the comments! The post PHOTOS: See Disney World Cast Members' NEW 50th Anniversary Name Tags first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

EPCOT often gets a bad rap and, frankly, we just totally don’t get it! We LOVE this big ball! But despite the big transformation, the park is currently undergoing, AND the TWO new attractions (Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind) headed its way, people still seem to have certain perceptions about EPCOT that are simply not true! So we’re here to bust those lies wide open! We’re putting out our OG EPCOT Center hats and ready to drop some truths on y’all. So here are the lies that we often hear about EPCOT (and we’re busting them!). OK, allow us to step up on our EPCOT soapbox real quick. Bunch of big EPCOT stans here are ready to plead our case. It’s boring and there’s nothing to do but eat and drink So many people think EPCOT is just boring and that the only thing it has to offer is food and booze. “It’s just for adults” sound familiar?? And although there is a LOT of great food and booze at EPCOT, there are plenty of other things to do, too. How can ANYONE walk through World Showcase and think it’s boring? It literally lets you travel around the world IN. A. DAY. And each country has so many learning experiences and cool shops that can keep both adults and kids entertained! You can see REAL manatees at EPCOT! But EPCOT also has the one of the largest aquariums in the world, not to mention a ride that lets you see what cars go through before they’re approved for manufacturing. AND you can travel OUT OF THIS WORLD on Mission: Space or learn all about the history of communication on Spaceship Earth. And Soarin’?! Who doesn’t love the chance to soar over iconic landscapes around the world (plus it has SMELLS and, well, we love us some scented rides!). And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Nothing to do? Pshaw! There’s plenty to do FOR everyone! And it’s about to get even better with those two new attractions we previously mentioned. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure joins Frozen Ever After in World Showcase as two notably kid-friendly rides, giving you even more reason to hang out in Walt’s original vision of the future. There’s nothing there for kids Um…excuse us? OK, so this goes into the first total MISCONCEPTION above. There is SO MUCH for kids to do at EPCOT. For example, each festival (which, ahem, are basically year-round now) features a fun scavenger hunt that is inexpensive to participate in, and they all end with a great prize! You can check out the Easter one we recently did here. There are also Kidcot stations in every country in World Showcase where kids can go and pick up informative cards AND stickers with information about that country — collect them all and get a cute postcard and baggie to put them all in. Kidcot Fun Stop Mexico Card OK, we get we literally just told you pay for a scavenger hunt and go do educational activities in World Showcase. Most kids are rolling their eyes like, “BOR-ING!” But we promise you it’s not. And there’s so much more! We don’t know any kids that don’t like riding Test Track and Frozen Ever After. And as we previously mentioned, they’ll love the aquarium at The Seas with Nemo and Friends, too (and they’ll adore the cute Nemo ride there). Plus, who can ignore the EPCOT icon, himself, FIGMENT?! Adults may yawn a bit at this ride (especially if they rode it themselves as kids and remember how good it WAS!) but, for kids, this ride is a blast! So don’t rule out EPCOT if you’ve got kids — they’ll LOVE it! You have to sit down for meals So we get it — EPCOT has some INCREDIBLE table service restaurants, and many of them consistently make it onto our favorite restaurants at Disney World lists. But here’s the thing — EPCOT also has some great counter service spots. One of our counter service go-to places is in France at Les Halles Boulangerie and Patisserie — the food is ALWAYS great and the prices are reasonable. Quiche Lorraine from Les Halles — OH, YEAH. We also like Yorkshire County Fish Shop (some of the best fish and chips we’ve found at Disney World), Lotus Blossom Cafe, Sunshine Seasons, and Regal Eagle Smokehouse. All of these are GREAT choices for counter service! Solid meal from Regal Eagle But that’s not all — because EPCOT has a lot of great festivals with outdoor food kitchens where you can sample a variety of amazing foods without ever having to sit down inside a restaurant. Food is portioned a bit smaller and priced reasonably so you can snack and nibble your way around the festival trying a variety of foods. We actually recommend you DON’T make a sit down reservation if you plan to tackle an EPCOT fest for this very reason — you’ll likely be STUFFED long before dinner! And there is almost ALWAYS a festival happening at EPCOT, so be sure to check that out! Everything is too expensive We won’t tell you that eating at EPCOT is ALWAYS cheap (you ARE in Disney World where a bottle of water costs about as much as a solid gold chain and your firstborn child ), especially if you’re dining in places like Chefs de France and Le Cellier, but there are a lot of inexpensive options for food, too, including many of the counter service restaurants we’ve already mentioned! For example, at Les Halles, you can get Bisque de Homard (Lobster Bisque in a Bread Bowl) for $5.75, a massive homemade Croissant for $2.90, and the Full Baguette for $3.10. That’s a filling meal for under $12. Granted, that’s a VERY carb-heavy meal LOL. BREAD Most entrees at Lotus Blossom Cafe are under $15. You can grab a sweet treat at Crepes des Chefs de France for around $7 or less. Many of the snacks at Kringla Bakeri Og Kafe are under $5 (hello, School Bread!). There are TONS of cheap eats around EPCOT if you just look for them. You shouldn’t visit EPCOT when it’s under construction or between festivals So, at this point, it feels like EPCOT has been under construction since, ohh…1998? (Not true, of course — it has really only been like 2 years. It just FEELS like a LOT longer) Yes, there is a LOT of construction going on at EPCOT, but who says that this makes it a park you DON’T want to go to. Even with the construction going on, there are still plenty of things to do — some of which we’ve already mentioned. World Showcase is open, and you can travel the world. Plus…don’t you want to get a peek at the work being done for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind? YEAH, EPCOT is FINALLY getting a roller coaster! This is EXCITING! Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind Construction But yes, there’s a lot of construction going on. It’s not forever and parts are finally starting to be revealed (like Creations Shop and Club Cool!) but it IS a slow progression. There IS some good to come of it though — we got the sweet old/new entrance fountain, and can FINALLY walk straight from the Land/Seas Pavilions to the front of the park (this area was previously, inexplicably, a dead end!). As far as going between festivals — good luck with that! There is almost ALWAYS a festival happening at EPCOT now. It’s at the point where there’s usually only one week between festivals these days. There aren’t any characters Wait — do people really believe this? Even before the park’s closure, there were a TON of meet and greet spots for characters. Seriously — this was THE park to meet many character you couldn’t otherwise, like Belle in her village clothing or Baymax, Joy, and Sadness. But now, after reopening? Characters are EVERYWHERE, and the interactions here are some of the best at Disney World! You can even have a chat with Mary Poppins and Alice at the U.K. Pavilion and say hello to Elsa and Anna at the Norway Pavilion. Practically perfect in every way Or you can watch Pooh chasing butterflies (and yes, it IS the sweetest thing ever) near the Imagination Pavilion. Pooh Didn’t Say It! Sometimes Joy pops up over there, too, to greet guests! And even Mickey, Minnie, Pluto, and Goofy turn up near Spaceship Earth occasionally — and this is one of the ONLY places right now you can see Mickey outside of a character cavalcade! There are LOADS of characters here. The food in The Land Pavilion is fake The 6-acre pavilion at EPCOT, The Land, is often a part of a huge EPCOT lie. This pavilion features massive greenhouses (some you can see through the Living With The Land ride) full of yummy vegetables and fruits. But some people think all of these plants — all this food — is fake! WHAT?! Yes, these pumpkins are real, even the Mickey-shaped ones! And they are WRONG. Not only is this food VERY real — but Disney has innovated agricultural procedures here to grow this food. Did you know they still hold a few Guinness World Records for highest-yielding vegetable plants EVER? So all those tomatoes, eggplant, peppers, beans, cucumbers, and more are SO real that Disney uses this produce for creating yummy dishes at The Garden Grill and Sunshine Seasons, and MORE. Over 30 tons of produce are harvested from The Land every year. Not real? PSSH! Today’s EPCOT is exactly what Walt Disney envisioned for the park Sorry guys, but not by a longshot. For some reason, a lot of guests are complaining about the changes happening at EPCOT right now because they think Imagineers are messing with Walt Disney’s initial concept of what he wanted for the park. But even the opening day version of EPCOT wasn’t completely up to snuff with what he’d originally imagined. Not even close, really. Walt originally wanted EPCOT to be its own little city of tomorrow where people actually worked AND lived. Maybe it wasn’t part of Walt’s original vision, but EPCOT contains the spirit of it! It was an actual CITY. You lived in one part, there was sophisticated transportation to bring you to the center to work. The idea was real people would live in this experimental city (ever wonder why EPCOT stood for Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow?!) for a set period of time, work, live, then new folks would swap out. If you’ve been to EPCOT, you’ll notice that its only permanent residents are the wildlife that resides there (ahem…ducks, birds, and squirrels, mostly!). Here’s what happened — after Walt died just after he came up with the pitch for EPCOT, the Disney company decided that a city was a little too ambitious of a project and went for the theme park approach. BUT some of Walt’s original ideas are still there, including dining areas inclusive of different cultures (AKA World Showcase). Want to see Walt’s ORIGINAL vision for EPCOT? You still can. But not where you think — you’ve gotta hop on the PeopleMover in Magic Kingdom. Here, Walt’s original design of Progress City, what would become EPCOT Center, lives to this day. The Future! The bottom line was Walt was all about innovation and changing to meet the ever-changing needs of our world. Would the EPCOT of today be something he liked? We can’t say for sure. It’s sure not what he set out to create, but we still think it’s pretty special. It’s the geographic center of Disney World resort OK, whereo n earth did this one come from?? We’re not sure why people believe that EPCOT sits in the geographical center of Disney World, but this is kind of an old urban legend that turns out not to be true, although it might have been true once. In Future World going towards World Showcase, the original EPCOT logo is embedded in the pavement — it’s five intertwined circles surrounding a globe. Many believe the globe is the center of Disney World. It’s not the center of the World… It IS likely that this may have once been the center of Disney World, but Disney World has expanded a great deal since then, and if you look at Disney World on a Map, it looks like the geographical center is just outside EPCOT now, which, hey, is pretty close! Nothing ever changes at EPCOT and it’s been the same FOREVER So of all the lies people tell about EPCOT, this one is a HUGE myth we can EASILY debunk. Although EPCOT never seems to change, it’s like other parks at Disney World — it’s always changing, including recently. Ask a diehard OG EPCOT Center fan (raises hand) and you’ll see what we mean. Horizons? Gone. World of Motion? Gone. Communicore? Gone. The list goes on and on. We’ve seen new attractions added — like Frozen Ever After and Test Track. But right now, the park is undergoing some MASSIVE changes, with two new upcoming attractions and an expanded France Pavilion. There’s now MORE of France to love! And if you haven’t paid attention, the entrance looks COMPLETELY different now — there’s a new fountain in front of Spaceship Earth, for example. There’s also new lighting in the area! There is SO much construction going on at EPCOT right now with old buildings being torn down and new ones being built. Right now we’re basically watching the ORIGINAL EPCOT, the EPCOT of the 80s, evolve. It’s shedding that 80s colored skin it held on to for a long time and growing into the new version of what the future means. And that’s kind of the point! So yeah, EPCOT is changing even more now than ever! So don’t believe everything you hear about EPCOT — because some of those things you’re hearing might be lies. Visit the park for yourself — we bet it’s going to exceed many of your expectations. Here’s What’s Going On With the Guardians of the Galaxy Ride in EPCOT?! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What’s the biggest lie you’ve ever heard about EPCOT? Let us know in the comments! The post Absolute LIES About EPCOT first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disney World will livestream previews of upcoming shows “Harmonious” and “Disney Enchantment” View the full article 'Harmonious' will officially debut at Epcot on Friday. (Matt Stroshane/Disney) Walt Disney World will preview, via livestreams, its upcoming nighttime spectaculars and fireworks, ahead of their Oct. 1 debuts. “Harmonious,” the new show at Epcot, will be seen Wednesday evening, followed by “Disney Enchantment” from Magic Kingdom on Thursday. They can been seen on the official Disney Parks Blog both evenings. Epcot watchers for months have been keeping an eye on the “Harmonious” large barges and machinery moved into place on the theme park’s World Showcase Lagoon. Those pieces include fountains, water curtain and pyrotechnic launches. The show includes new interpretations of Disney songs in more than a dozen languages. Its livestream time is 9 p.m. Wednesday. It slides into the slot long held by “IllumiNations: Reflections of Earth” and, more recently, by “Epcot Forever.” “Disney Enchantment” will feature an original song called “You Are the Magic” by Grammy winner Philip Lawrence. Visually, the production will include, for the first time, projection effects and enhanced lighting going from Cinderella Castle down Main Street U.S.A. Its livestream time is 10:15 p.m. Thursday. “Disney Enchantment” replaces “Happily Ever After,” which debuted in 2017. Both shows officially open Friday as part of Walt Disney World’s 50th anniversary celebration. Disney’s Animal Kingdom welcomes a daytime new show called “Disney KiteTails” on Friday. Dewayne Bevil Orlando Sentinel

Disney Magic Maker Oscar Cabrera Honored With A Magical Surprise | Disney ParksView the full article

Oscar Cabrera is the newest Disney Magic Maker to join local heroes across the country being celebrated for the good they do in their communities. Oscar proves that taking the extra step to put a smile on someone’s face is worth all the magic in the world. So, we wanted to celebrate this Disney Magic Maker in an extra special way.http://feeds.feedburner.com/~r/DisneyParks/~4/JCZEsbB8ThQView the full article

Disney food has been evolving for as long as the Disney parks have been open. Starring Rolls Cafe in Disney’s Hollywood Studios Some classic restaurants have been closed down, other amazing new ones have popped up, and the menus at all of them are changing constantly. Only the most classic Disney World fans will remember the restaurant that housed the dish we’re making next, though! The Empress Lilly Riverboat was docked on the shores of what we know call Disney Springs. It was named for Walt Disney’s wife, Lillian, who actually attended the Riverboat’s dedication on May 1, 1977. Inside was a jazz lounge and three restaurants, one of which was the fanciest in all of Disney World at the time. ©Disney On April 22, 1995 the Empress Lilly Riverboat closed, and now you’ll find the Paddlefish restaurant in its place (with Fulton’s Crab House existing there before Paddlefish). But when the Riverboat was open, one of its signature dishes was the Au Gratin Potatoes. ©Disney You’ll find the recipe for this dish in Delicious Disney: Recipes & Stories from the Most Magical Place on Earth, the new cookbook that’s coming out September 28th, 2021, in honor of Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. Delicious Disney ©Disney But you don’t even have to wait until September 28th to make this classic dish, because Disney just released the recipe! It’s surprisingly easy to make these really tasty potatoes. EMPRESS LILLY AU GRATIN POTATOES Serves 4 2 large baking potatoes 1 cup half and half ½ teaspoon coarse salt ¼ teaspoon pepper ½ teaspoon celery salt 1 tablespoon finely grated onion, optional 3 tablespoons grated cheddar cheese Preheat oven to 375°F. Bake potatoes 50 to 60 minutes, or until soft enough to pierce with a fork. Refrigerate to cool, then peel and coarsely grate. Bring half and half almost to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Add salt, pepper, celery salt, and onion. Mix in grated potatoes. Reduce oven heat to 350°F. Spoon potatoes into buttered 1-quart baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, or until browned and bubbly. Or, you can print off the Disney recipe by clicking the picture below. ©Disney If you’re hoping to try some Disney World Au Gratin Potatoes, we’re afraid that you can’t go to Empress Lilly’s Riverboat right now (since it’s been closed for about 25 years), but you can get something similar as a delicious side to the New York Strip Steak at Le Cellier in the Canada Pavilion of EPCOT’s World Showcase! Le Cellier Steakhouse Happy cooking! Keep following DFB for more Disney food news and recipes. Click Here to See TONS of Disney World Recipes You Can Make at Home Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Are you planning to make the Empress Lilly Au Gratin Potatoes? Let us know in the comments! The post Disney RECIPE: Make the Classic Empress Lilly Au Gratin Potatoes at Home first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Although this year’s big Disney collection is the Stitch Crashes Disney collection, last year, we were all about the Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction collection where Minnie Mouse crashed our favorite Disney Parks rides! Haunted Mansion Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction Collection The collection featured a mash-up of Minnie with such beloved attractions like The Jungle Cruise, Dumbo, Pirates of the Caribbean, and more. But one of our favorites was the Haunted Mansion collection, which sold like hotcakes! Well, if you missed out on that collection, you just missed out. But…we spotted an item from that collection just recently at Disneyland! Say what? Yes! We found several of the Minnie Mouse: The Main Attraction Haunted Mansion Loungefly Hip Bags! The front looks like Minnie Ears with black and purple flowers, with Madame Leota’s face. It’s also VERY sparkly with sequins! It’s available now! And of course, it includes the Disney Parks and Loungefly logos. Logo The zipper pull is the icon from the Haunted Mansion wallpaper. Spooky! We found this bag for $50 at Disney Showcase in Disneyland, but we expect it won’t last long, so if you’ve been DYING (see what we did there?) to add it to your collection, head to Disneyland now! And we’ll let you know if we find any other hot collectibles at the parks, so stay tuned! Disneyland Reviews and Information Click HERE to Check Out Lots of DFB Posts About Disneyland See the Latest Updates About Disneyland’s Mask Policy Check Out Our Disneyland Restaurants Guide See What Marvelous Stuff You’ll Find at Avengers Campus in Disney California Adventure Park Check Out Details from the Historic Reopening of Disneyland Resort See What You Need to Know About the Theme Park Reservation System for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure Learn About the Disneyland Mobile App Get All the Details About Mobile Order in Disneyland See More About Pixar Pier in Disney California Adventure What’s Going to Be Different About Your Next Disneyland Trip? Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click here to Subscribe Do you have any Minnie Main Attraction merchandise? Let us know in the comments! The post We Spotted a Popular Disney Merchandise Collection From the Past! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

We see updates at the Disney World parks all the time. Disney’s Beach Club Resort But what about the Disney World hotels? Where you stay is a huge part of your vacation, so we like to keep you updated on what’s going on at the hotels in Disney World. Let’s take a look at some food, merchandise, and construction updates we’ve noticed recently. We’ll start out with all the food updates. Disney World Hotel Food Update Disney’s Beach Club Resort Food Update At Disney’s Beach Club Resort, we found a Mickey Fall cupcake! Mickey Fall Cupcakes The cupcake is a vanilla cake, topped with orange buttercream, fall designs, and Mickey ears! It was in the Beach Club Marketplace, at the refrigerated section. Happy Fall! You can get it now for $5.99. Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort Over at the Grand Floridian, we noticed that the self-serve bakery case was open again for guests to use! Self-Serve Bakery Case Now you can grab and go pastries, Disney cupcakes, and more! Disney World Hotel Merchandise Update Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Polynesian Village Resort Merchandise Update If you’re staying at a Disney World hotel, ask the front desk about the new Magic Kingdom Attractions Scavenger Hunt, which came to the resorts for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary. Scavenger Hunt We tried out the scavenger hunt at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. It seems like you can complete the whole hunt at a single resort, since we found the same clues at both hotels. Follow the clues to the ride signs You’ll follow the clues to find Disney attraction signs around the hotel and solve the puzzle at the end! Also at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort, you’ll find 50th Anniversary displays outside of Curiouser Clothiers! 50th Anniversary Decor It’s just in time for the BIG celebration that kicks off later this week! Disney’s Contemporary Resort If you’re looking for Disney Pride Pins, they are in stock over at Fantasia in Disney’s Contemporary Resort! Pride Pins In case you missed it, Disney released an adorable Alice in Wonderland collection with some seriously gorgeous merchandise! Over at Bay View Gifts, we spotted a bag we hadn’t seen before based on Alice in Wonderland. Alice Bag The bag features butterflies and a quilted pattern, and it’s based on the work of legendary Disney artist Mary Blair! Disney World Hotel Construction Update Disney’s Art of Animation Resort Construction While we were wandering around Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, we spotted some construction around the Lion King buildings. Touching up paint The Cast Members were touching up the paint on the buildings, keeping the colors nice and bright. Disney’s Contemporary Resort Over at the Contemporary Resort, the scrim is coming down on the upper levels of the resort, revealing the refurbished hotel! The scrim is coming down! Not only did scrim come down inside the resort, the new lobby also opened at the resort with a sleek, modern look! The new look features a Mary Blair-inspired mural and Mid-Century Modern style furniture with a futuristic twist! New lobby! Plus, Steakhouse 71, the new restaurant set to replace the Wave, is ready for its opening on October 1st! The construction walls that had been surrounding the restaurant’s entrance have been taken down. The entrance to Steakhouse 71 There are also new tables at Contemporary Grounds, the Joffrey’s location at the resort! Tables at Contemporary Grounds! Overall, Disney’s Contemporary is almost done with its big refurbishment! Disney’s Grand Floridian If you look down at Disney’s Grand Floridian, you’ll notice NEW 50th Anniversary floor mats! The new mats! There’s also a new chocolate sculpture for the Halloween season featuring the mice from Cinderella. So beautiful There’s also a gorgeous white chocolate rendition of Cinderella’s Glass Slipper! Chocolate slipper That’s all for our Disney World hotel updates this time! Keep following DFB for more updates around the Disney World parks and hotels. Click Here to See What’s New in Magic Kingdom Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What’s your favorite Disney World hotel? Let us know in the comments! The post What’s New at Disney World Hotels: A 50th Anniversary Scavenger Hunt and a Fall Cupcake first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

The Disney PhotoPass Studio is a photo studio in Disney Springs where you can take all sorts of wacky pics with fun backgrounds and effects! Disney PhotoPass Studio We’ve seen lots of fun photo ops including a Soul-inspired photo op, a Cruella photo op, and more! Recently, Disney PhotoPass Studio announced a new collection of Halloween Photo ops! On Twitter, Disney Springs announced new Halloween virtual backdrops, including one with the Headless Horseman on Main Street… ©Disney …and another in front of the Spiral Hill from Nightmare Before Christmas. ©Disney You can stop by the Disney PhotoPass Studio today to try out these new backdrops! We’re always keeping up with the latest Disney news, so stay tuned here for more! Click Here to See If You Noticed This MISSING Character in Disney World! Halloween at Walt Disney World Get a Look at All of the New Halloween Merchandise in Disney World Learn All About Disney After Hours Boo Bash at Magic Kingdom See Every Date That is Sold Out for Boo Bash Check Out the Full List of Halloween Treats Coming to Disney World See Photos and Reviews of the Fall and Halloween Treats in Disney World Take a Look at the Halloween Decorations in Magic Kingdom See Disney World’s NEW Halloween Ears Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click here to Subscribe What do you think about these new PhotoPass backdrops? Let us know in the comments! The post Take A Picture With the Headless Horseman at Disney World! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

We are getting SO close to the first day of Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration, so you can imagine how busy things are at the parks right now! We’ve been to Space 220! Most recently, we’ve attended the opening of the highly-anticipated Space 220 Restaurant, tried an ice cream margarita, and had a spicy hot dog. And although we’ve seen a LOT of menu changes and updates over the past month, we’ve still got more to share with you this week. So let’s get to those updates! EPCOT San Angel Inn Restaurante There have been a few changes made on the Kids Menu at San Angel Inn: Fruit Cup is now just listed as Fruit (Chef’s Selection) and the price increased from $3 to $3.50 Chocolate Brownie decreased from $6 to $4.50 Dulce de Leche Ice Cream increased from $4 to $5 Read Our Most Recent Review of San Angel Inn La Hacienda de San Angel The same changes were made at La Hacienda de San Angel. Fruit Cup is now just listed as Fruit (Chef’s Selection) and the price increased from $3 to $3.50 Chocolate Brownie decreased from $6 to $4.50 Dulce de Leche Ice Cream increased from $4 to $5 La Hacienda de San Angel These are the only changes we saw there, too. Here’s Our Most Recent Review of La Hacienda de San Angel Disney’s Animal Kingdom Tusker House Restaurant We’ve got a few minor changes at Tusker House Restaraunt: Lost On Safari is now made with Starr African Rum Lost On Safari Ngumu Jungle Juice is now made with Snow Leopard Vodka, Bols Peach Schnapps, and Tusker House “Jungle Juice” Read Our Latest Review of Tusker House Disney’s Contemporary Resort California Grill A new 50th Anniversary Prix Fixe Menu has been announced for California Grill. For a limited time, the restaurant will offer a 3-course menu, including an appetizer, entree, and dessert. The new menu includes The California Grill Sushi Classics Trio – Blue Crab California Roll, Shrimp Tempura Roll, Spicy Kazan Roll. ©Disney Guests will also get to try the House-Made Artisanal-Style Duck á la Orange Pizza and Oak-Fired Filet of Beef with Black Truffle-Brown Butter Château Potatoes, Golden Raisins Vinaigrette, Cauliflower, and Black Garlic Butter. ©Disney Dessert includes a special EARidescent Grand Marnier Soufflé served table-side with macerated Florida citrus and a delicious house-made Creamsicle Ice Cream. Here’s a look at the full menu: ©Disney The meal will cost $89 per adult (ages 10 and up) and $39 per child (ages 3-9), plus tax and gratuity. Guests will be able to check out the new prix fixe menu as of October 3rd — reservations are available now. See More Details About This Menu HERE! Disney’s All-Star Music Resort Intermission Food Court Disney’s All-Star Music Resort just recently reopened, but we’ve got a few menu changes at the food court for breakfast: REMOVED: Western Omelet REMOVED: Cappuccino, Espresso, Caffe Latte, and Americano The Intermission Food Court So far, those are the only changes we’ve seen here! See Photos From All-Star Music Resort’s Opening! Space 220 Of course, Space 220 opened as well and we ate EVERYTHING for Lunch, Dinner, and at the Lounge. Here are the desserts! As far as menu changes go, it’s been a pretty quiet week, but we’ll be back soon with even more updates! Here’s The Best Time to Dine at Space 220 in EPCOT! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Were any of your favorite restaurants affected by menu changes recently? Let us know in the comments! The post 5 Restaurants Saw Menu CHANGES In Disney World This Week! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Hello, fall! Even if it doesn’t really feel like fall in Florida, we’re dreaming about the days of sweater weather, Halloween, and all things pumpkin spice! We love it here. Yes, there’s just something about those warm flavors that get us in the mood for October, so when we see new pumpkin spice snacks at Disney World, we’re going to try them out! Maybe that makes us basic, but that’s how we roll! So when we saw that Everglazed Donuts & Cold Brew was advertising TWO new pumpkin spice snacks, we made a beeline to Disney Springs to try them out. Behold the Pumpkin Cake Donut and Pumpkin Cold Brew. YES, please! PUMPKIN!!!! We raise a cup to all things fall, y’all! SO much fall The limited-time Pumpkin Cake Donut is glazed and dusted with Cinnamon Sugar. The donut IS a cake donut, so it’s dense, but we thought it was interesting there’s no icing on it. It was tasty, but a pumpkin or cinnamon icing might have taken it up a notch. You can try it for yourself for $4.50. Sugar and spice, and everything nice. The cold brew is made with Pumpkin Oat Milk and Pumpkin Pie and Vanilla Syrups. We do recommend stirring the drink first because the Pumpkin Pie Syrup has a tendency to sink to the bottom — give it a good stir so that you get pumpkin in every sip. And you’ll want that because this cold brew tastes more pumpkin-y than the Pumpkin Spice Latte at Starbucks, so if you’re in love with that flavor, this is a must! Pumpkin Cold Brew It also comes with copious amounts of Whipped Cream — after all, what pumpkin pie DOESN’T come with loads of whipped cream? The drink not overly sweet, although it does have some sweet flavors to it. The large cold brew is $7.50. Whipped Cream for DAYS All in all, if you’re a pumpkin spice fan, you’ll want to grab both of these snacks ASAP. The treats are a bit pricey, but we’re used to these kind of prices at Everglazed. We’ll let you know when other fall treats arrive at Disney World! See Which Lesser Known Take-Out Spot Has Some of the BEST Value Food in Disney World Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Are you a pumpkin spice fan? Let us know in the comments! The post REVIEW: Did We Find a BETTER Pumpkin Coffee Than Starbucks' PSL in Disney World? first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disney World is making a lot of changes as they prepare to launch the new Disney Genie program. Rise of the Resistance One of the rides experiencing a lot of changes is Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As of right now, there’s only one way to ride Rise of the Resistance, and you can probably expect it to take a LONG time. Since Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opened, guests could only ride by first obtaining a Boarding Group on the My Disney Experience app. Then, the app would let guests know when it was their turn to ride, and the actual line for the ride was generally on the shorter side. Recently, however, Disney announced that they were pausing Boarding Groups for Rise of the Resistance, meaning for right now the only way to ride the ride is via the Standby Line. Stand By Line Then, we noticed Rise of the Resistance was added to the list of rides operating during Early Theme Park Entry, which is Disney World’s new early access program which is debuting early on September 26th. Select Disney World hotel guests qualify to visit the Disney World parks 30 minutes before opening time and can get in line for Rise of the Resistance 30 minutes before the public. Rise of the Resistance will be available for Early Theme Park Entry guests We asked for votes on Instagram about the new standby queue for Rise of the Resistance, and feelings were strong with over 9,000 DFB readers. 68% of you prefer the virtual queue system, and 32% are happy about the new standby line. It’s important to note that many people were unable to secure Boarding Groups during their visits, so some people might prefer the standby line. © @disneyfoodblog on Instagram One of our readers said, “I’m happy about it because the lines for everything else is short,” while another reader admitted to being “conflicted” since Genie+ is coming soon. Another DFB reader noted, “I’m happy me and my mom have a decent chance of riding it in February now,” while another reader commented, “With the virtual one, the expectation was adjusted once you didn’t get it, now you waste the day hoping to get in.” Rise of the Resistance Once Disney’s Genie program and Individual Ride Selection launches, Rise of the Resistance will have a Lightning Lane for guests who opt to use the new pay-per-ride system, so we’re probably going to continue to see more changes as Disney moves forward. Keep reading DFB for more Disney World news, tips, and tricks! See how long it took us to ride Rise of the Resistance via Standby Line! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. How do YOU feel about the Rise of the Resistance Standby Line? Tell us in the comments! The post 68% of Disney World Fans Are Not Happy With This Recent Change first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

If you’ve ever happened to see any of the beautiful chocolate sculptures done by the chefs at Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa, you would know that these chefs are not just amazing bakers, but also fantastic artists! Grand Floridian They’ve created some beautiful works of art out of chocolate with themes like Mickey and Minnie, Cinderella’s Castle, and more! And now, those amazing chefs have done it again by creating the most charming Cinderella-inspired chocolate sculpture, which features pumpkins and Cinderella’s mice friends! It’s chocolate! It’s the details that really make this sculpture stand out. Look at this beautiful glass…err…CHOCOLATE…slipper. And yes, that’s Perla, one of the mice in Cinderella! Chocolate slipper Look at how she and Jaq look at each other! AWWW! Perla and Jaq But, y’all. Look at Gus Gus and his little chocolate belly! He just fills us with so much joy! Gus Gus This is truly a work of art fit for a princess. So beautiful We can’t wait to see what Grand Floridian’s Bakery chefs come up with next! And when we DO see it, we’ll be sure to share photos with you! Check Out The Secret to Getting Disney World’s New Ice Cream Margarita! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What do you think of this chocolate sculpture? Let us know in the comments! The post PHOTOS: Edible Mice? Check Out the Latest Chocolate Masterpiece in Disney World! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Have you spotted this iconic duo in the parks yet? #Shorts #DisneyWorld50 #Disney #DisneyParksView the full article

Step right up, we’ve got something to show you! There’s something different over at the Dumbo attraction in Storybook Circus. That tiny little mouse by Dumbo’s side seems to have flown the coop! Did he borrow Dumbo’s ears?! Dumbo the Flying Elephant While we were visiting Storybook Circus in the Magic Kingdom, we noticed that a familiar friend wasn’t where he belonged! The Dumbo attraction sign looks a little different! Timothy Q. Mouse normally sits atop the sign, feather in hand, greeting guests who take a ride on Dumbo! Where could he be? It’s not like he ran away to join the circus… . Where’d he go?! Here’s a peek from the other side of the sign. We noticed that Timothy has been gone for a little while now, but we hope he returns soon! Timothy has disappeared! It’s more than likely that Timothy Mouse was just temporarily removed for a little 50th Anniversary spruce-up. After all, we’ve seen fresh paint and new decorations popping up around Magic Kingdom for a few weeks now! He’s not here! For reference, this is what the sign used to look like: This is where he belongs! Whatever the reason, we hope that Timothy Mouse returns soon — we miss his cute little face! In the meantime, be sure to stay tuned for more Disney news and updates! Want to Go to Disney World for FREE? Here’s How You Can! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What’s your favorite little Disney detail? Let us know in the comments! The post Have You Noticed This MISSING Character in Disney World?! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

We have to admit, we love our Disney merchandise. The Emporium We probably have way too many Disney mugs, t-shirts, and Minnie ears. But if you’re reading this, we’re guessing you have your fair share of Disney items too! So we asked our readers an impossible question: Which Disney merchandise item would you SAVE if you had to choose just one? Here’s what you said. On Instagram, we gave our readers two choices, and they had to choose which merchandise item they would save if they could only pick ONE. More than 19,000 readers responded to our questions, and they were pretty divided on their merchandise opinions sometimes! Let’s see what y’all said! We started off with Disney Sippers… Colorful and Delicious! …vs. Disney Popcorn Buckets. Popcorn Do you prefer the drinks or the popcorn? Most of our readers would save the Popcorn Buckets! Sippers or Popcorn Buckets? 65% of responders chose popcorn buckets over the sippers, and we must say we agree. There are so many fun shapes to choose from, and who doesn’t want Disney popcorn readily available all day?? Jack Skellington Popcorn Bucket In fact, so many people love the popcorn buckets that there’s a new line of merchandise dedicated to the popular snack. You can get a Disney Loungefly mini-backpack… Popcorn Loungefly …Minnie ears… Minnie Popcorn Ears …and even Crocs with a Disney popcorn theme! The perfect tribute to an iconic snack! Next up, we asked you to choose between pins… Pins Wall …or Minnie ears. Minnie Ears And we were a little surprised by the results! 61% of readers chose Minnie Ears over pins. Pins or Minnie Ears? Pin trading is super popular in Disney World, but we guess that the adorable Minnie ears are starting to take over. Are we mad about it? Absolutely not. In fact, we’re a little obsessed with Minnie ears ourselves, and who can blame us? New 50th Anniversary Ears The next question we tackled was Disney mugs… ALL the mugs! …or Disney tumblers. Starbucks Parks Tumblers Our readers chose to save the mugs! 61% of readers chose mugs over tumblers. Mugs or Tumblers? With SO MANY options to choose from, a Disney mug collection can get truly massive. Seriously, there’s a Disney mug for almost every character, movie, and event. tons. of. mugs. BUT we’re also not really ready to give up the tumblers. Especially when this beauty just came out with all the new 50th Anniversary merchandise in Disney’s Magic Kingdom! Starbucks Tumbler These really are some impossible Disney decisions. Next up we asked if you would save Spirit Jerseys… MouseGears Spirit Jerseys …or Loungefly backpacks. Loungefly Backpacks The Loungefly Bags won out by just a little bit! 53% of readers would rather save the backpacks. Spirit Jerseys or Loungefly Bags? Like the Disney mugs, you can find a Loungefly backpack for almost any character and occasion. One of our favorites recently was this one that has a special pocket to hold your Minnie ears! How cool! Combining TWO of our Disney merchandise loves into one? Yes, please! Our next impossible choice was between Disney Wishables… Wishables …and Disney nuiMOs. nuiMOs Which cute mini Disney plush did our readers choose to save? the Disney nuiMOs just barely won out, with 52% of readers choosing them over the Wishables! Wishables or nuiMOs? Although the Wishables are pretty darn cute, the nuiMOs have tons of outfits that you can dress them in, which might have helped them edge out the competition. A cute plaid skirt for class! Our last question had the closest results of all. We asked you to choose between Custom Lightsabers… Building a Lightsaber …and Custom Droids from Galaxy’s Edge in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Building Droids Although it’s pretty cool to have your own Custom Droid, the Custom Lightsabers won out just barely! 51% of readers chose to save the Lightsabers. Custom Lightsaber or Droid? The good news? You don’t actually have to choose! If you’re heading to Disney World, all of these souvenirs (and a whole lot more) are available for you to buy. Keep following DFB for more updates on Disney’s merchandise. Click Here to Read About 10 Disney World Souvenirs We DON’T Regret Buying Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. What’s your favorite Disney merchandise? Let us know in the comments! The post The IMPOSSIBLE Disney Questions We Recently Asked Our Readers to Answer! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Lately, we’ve been seeing something new every day in Disney World — especially with the 50th Anniversary starting soon! It feels like only yesterday we were anxiously waiting for the gold statues to debut in the parks, and now we’re tracking the installation of Lightning Lane signs and searching for refurbished park icons! Hello from the Magic Kingdom! Well, today is no exception! The Cinderella castle stage has been empty for a long time now (we miss those castle stage shows!), but it looks like the stage is getting a 50th Anniversary makeover to match the castle! You may be familiar with the special EARidescent color scheme Disney created for the 50th Anniversary — it’s on the new costumes, merchandise, banners, and even the castle! Now, that EARidescent color palette is being added to the Cinderella Castle stage! The stage has a new color! The new stage covering has the 50th Anniversary logo (which you can buy in pin form) along with the signature tagline “The world’s most magical celebration.” How cute! Clearly, the new stage is still a work in progress, but we can’t wait to see how it turns out! Now, all we need are some characters on that stage… . It’s looking good! We’ll continue to monitor the castle stage construction, so stay tuned for more updates and other park news! There are only a few more days until the 18-month long celebration begins! Even Your COFFEE is Getting a 50th Anniversary Upgrade in Disney World! Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Details and Info Click HERE for Your Guide to Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration See Everything That Has Been Announced For Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Check Out Everything Happening in Disney World on October 1st, 2021 Click Here to See The 50 Best Ways to Celebrate Disney World’s 50th Anniversary What Does Hotel Availability and Pricing Look Like for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary? Here Are the 5 News Bombs You May Have Missed Related to the 50th Anniversary Celebrations! Check Out 10 Things You Need to Bring If You’re Going to Disney World for the 50th Anniversary See How Each of Disney World’s Park Icons Will Transform During the 50th Anniversary Celebrations! Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click here to Subscribe Do you like the new stage design? Let us know in the comments! The post Why You'll Want to Look At the Castle Stage Next Time You Visit Magic Kingdom! first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Over the past few months, there has been a whole lot of construction progress around Disney World! It’s Fall in Disney World! We’ve seen brand new shops open, restaurants debut, and tons of attractions have received a fresh coat of paint leading up to the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary. And, now that we’re only a few weeks away from the big party, we’ve got even more to share — so, let’s dive right in! Magic Kingdom Tomorrowland Last month, Disney announced that FastPass+ would be discontinued in the parks and that they would instead be introducing two new PAID FastPass options called Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selection. The new services have yet to roll out, but Disney has slowly been removing all remaining signs of FastPass+ in the parks. We’ve seen more Lightning Lane (aka the new FastPass lines) signs installed… More Lightning Lanes installed! …and even some FastPass+ kiosks have been removed. The kiosks are gone! Now, there are still some remnants around the park, including lots of FastPass kiosks that have yet to be taken out, so there’s a bit more to go. And, we’re still waiting on a date that Disney Genie+ and Individual Attraction Selections will become available, so stay tuned to DFB for the latest! Splash Mountain A few small refurbishments wrapped up this week in Disney World too. Over at Splash Mountain, we noticed that all of the scaffolding had been taken down from the exterior. Here’s what it looked like before… Splash Mountain Scaffolding Before …and here it is now. No more scaffolding! Disney has shared quite a few details about the new Princess and The Frog theme coming to the attraction, however, these refurbishments seen recently were not related to the reimagining of the ride. Be Our Guest Restaurant And, the other refurbishment that wrapped up was over at Be Our Guest Restaurant in New Fantasyland. There had been quite a bit of scaffolding up near the Beast’s castle and on the rocks… Construction before… …but now all of that has been removed. All done now! There aren’t any big changes to the area here, so it was likely just some repainting leading up to the 50th anniversary. TRON: Lightcycle Run One construction project that isn’t set to wrap up by the 50th anniversary is the new roller coaster in Magic Kingdom, TRON: Lightcycle Run. And, while we won’t be racing on lightcycles on October 1st, this week we noticed that many of the cranes that usually sit on the construction site were being used as crews continue to work on the outdoor canopy. Construction crews are working! For now, there’s still no word on when the attraction may debut, but we’ll continue to keep an eye out! EPCOT Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind Speaking of construction projects that will be ongoing after October 1st, we also took a ride on the EPCOT monorail and caught a peek at the new attraction, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. The ride itself is all indoors, but we’ve been watching as the entrance area slowly takes shape! Here’s what it looked like the last time we checked in… Construction progress at Cosmic Rewind as of August 2021 …and here it is this week! More progress! There’s quite a bit more cement out there so maybe we’ll get to see the beginnings of the Xandarian ship that will sit out front soon! ©Disney Disney has yet to share any details about when this new roller coaster may open in EPCOT, but we may still have a little while to go based on what we’re seeing outside. Harmonious Back in World Showcase, Disney is preparing for the debut of the brand new fireworks show — Harmonious. We’ve been tracking the big barges that are located in World Showcase Lagoon since they arrived earlier this year and when we passed by recently we spotted a construction crane out on the water with crews working on the showpieces. Harmonious Barge Construction But, we’re only a few days away from seeing these big boys in action out on the water, as the show will have its grand opening on September 29th! Here’s How to See Disney World’s 2 New Fireworks Shows From Home! World Showcase On our way around the country pavilions, we also noticed that new construction walls had popped up between the Morocco and France Pavilions. Previously, this area was blocked off by some tall bushes, but now there’s no chance of getting a peek inside. Construction Walls It’s not clear exactly what Disney is working on here, but we’ll keep you updated! Space 220 And, after a LONG wait, construction on the brand new restaurant in EPCOT, Space 220, has wrapped up and the spot officially opened on Monday, September 20th! Of course, we were there to check it all out, so you can come along inside with us, learn all about the must-have space eats, and get the latest on how to secure your reservation. Let’s go 220 miles above EPCOT! Currently, Space 220 reservations are open for dates after September 27th (though they’ve quickly become hard to find) and guests visiting before this date can walk up to the restaurant day-of to get a reservation. Click HERE for Our FULL Review of Lunch at Space 220! Disney’s Hollywood Studios Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster There hasn’t been too much construction going on at Disney’s Hollywood Studios recently, but this week there was a BIG change over at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (literally!). Now guests hopping on the high-speed roller coaster will find scaffolding in front of the giant guitar out front of the building. LOTS of scaffolding Disney hasn’t shared exactly what’s going on behind the construction tarps, but it likely is just getting some sprucing up in time for October. Disney’s Animal Kingdom Discovery River Amphitheater At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, we spotted even more progress over at the Discovery River Amphitheater for the new daytime show, Disney KiteTails. Out on the water, the platforms continue to take shape with the structures looking more and more hut-like each day… KiteTails Barges …and at the entrance of the theater, there are TONS of new character kites hanging up above! Character Kites The new show will feature performers flying kites that represent various Disney characters and out on the water giant 3D kites of even more characters will fly high. DinoLand, U.S.A. This week, we also noticed that some construction walls had popped up around Restaurantosaurus (though the Quick Service restaurant does remain open for guests). Construction Walls And, it looks like Disney is finally getting to removing the closed attraction, Primeval Whirl. We had spotted new construction walls here last week, but now we’re starting to see some of the ride tracks being broken down. Coming down! Disney hasn’t shared any plans for what could be replacing the attraction once it’s officially “extinct,” but we’ll keep an eye out! And, that’s a wrap on this week’s construction update! With the Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary approaching so soon, there’s probably a lot more progress to come in the next few days (plus lots of NEW things will open up!). So, be sure that you’re staying tuned to DFB for everything you need to know before heading into the parks! Click HERE For ALL the Rides and Hotels That Will Be CLOSED in September in Disney World! Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Details and Info Click HERE for Your Guide to Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration See Everything That Has Been Announced For Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Check Out Everything Happening in Disney World on October 1st, 2021 Click Here to See The 50 Best Ways to Celebrate Disney World’s 50th Anniversary What Does Hotel Availability and Pricing Look Like for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary? Here Are the 5 News Bombs You May Have Missed Related to the 50th Anniversary Celebrations! Check Out 10 Things You Need to Bring If You’re Going to Disney World for the 50th Anniversary See How Each of Disney World’s Park Icons Will Transform During the 50th Anniversary Celebrations! Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click here to Subscribe Are you heading to Disney World for the 50th Anniversary? Let us know in the comments! The post PHOTOS: 3 Construction Projects Wrap Up as More Continue in Disney World first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Anyone remember Relaxation Stations? Relaxation Station Relaxation Stations were a great spots to unwind and escape the busy theme parks! These were originally added when Disney World first reopened last year as a place for guests to remove their face masks, but they have since closed in each park. But, there are still places to relax in Disney World and we wanted to show you one of the best spots in Magic Kingdom! Over in Storybook Circus, the yellow tent has reopened after a quick closure and paint job! Tucked away in the back of Magic Kingdom next to Pete’s Silly Side Show, this is a great hidden spot to take a break. It’s back! There aren’t any FuelRod stations in this tent any more, but there’s plenty of seating and outlets to charge your phone. This is a great way to recharge from a long day at Magic Kingdom while you also recharge your phone! Although the Tangled bathrooms in Fantasyland have outlets, you are not guaranteed shade when you sit there. Plenty of seats! If you’re in Magic Kingdom and need a hidden hideaway from the hectic hustle and bustle of the park, stop by Storybook Circus and enjoy the charging tent! Plug in and unwind! We’re always keeping up with the latest Disney news, so stay tuned for more! Click Here to See How to Go to Disney World for FREE! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Have you ever visited this tent in Storybook Circus? Let us know in the comments! The post Did You Know About the Secret Place To Charge Your Phone in Magic Kingdom? first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

Disney World is certainly a magical place, but it’s not perfect. Sometimes things happen. Splash Mountain We’ve seen Mobile Order go down, animatronics with missing hands, animatronics just missing, animatronics with weird faces, and more. We’ve also seen rides go down quite a bit, too, including the PeopleMover, and Splash Mountain, both at Magic Kingdom. Speaking of which…Splash Mountain is now down again after being evacuated this morning. Cast Members were on hand to help guests off the ride. Splash Mountain being evacuated. A Cast Member told us the ride had stopped due to technical difficulties. Guests being evacuated from Splash Mountain Cast Members were also handing out water to guests as many had to wait outside in the heat in their ride vehicles before being evacuated. Guests receiving water from Cast Members Splash Mountain is set for a complete re-theme in the future, although we don’t have an exact date on when construction on that project will begin. We’ve seen some concept art of what the new version of the ride will look like, which will revolve around The Princess and the Frog. For now, though, Splash Mountain will continue as is. And we’ll keep you updated on all ride evacuations, downtime, and refurbishments, so stay tuned. Did You Overlook This IMPORTANT Detail in Disney’s Latest Splash Mountain Retheme Announcement?! Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe! Don't Miss Out on Any Disney Fun! Order Your Copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining Today! With more than 750 pages, the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining is full of tips and planning tools developed by Disney World experts over 30+ years of visits. We've done the research for you, so you'll know just which spots will uniquely suit your family's needs! With mini-reviews of every single restaurant, bar, lounge, kiosk and more; an entire chapter on the best snacks in Disney World; full Disney Dining Plan analysis (and how to get FREE dining); and a full chapter on discounts and deals; you'll have everything you need to plan your best vacation yet. Click here to order your copy of the 2021 DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining E-book with code WDW2021 to save 25% off the cover price today! Use code WDW2021 at check-out for 25% off the cover price today! http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/ready-to-shop-button.png Our guides are backed by a 100% money-back guarantee, so you have nothing to lose. Have you ever been evacuated from Splash Mountain? Let us know in the comments! The post PHOTOS: Disney World Guests Evacuated From Splash Mountain This Morning first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article

BIG changes are coming to Disney World with the introduction of Disney Genie, Genie+, and Individual Attraction Selection. ©Disney It can be hard to know how all these new features will fit into your Disney World vacation planning. So we did our research and came up with new tips for planning your best Disney World vacation while keeping Genie in mind! Whether you’re planning on using the Genie features or not, these tips should help you make the most of your time in the parks. We’ll take a quick look at all the new changes coming with the Disney Genie and then go into our tips for how to use them (or not) to make your Disney vacation the best that it can be. The Disney Genie There are three main parts to the new Genie service: the Genie, Genie+, and Pay-Per-Ride. ©Disney Genie The most basic new feature is the Disney Genie, which is a free tool that all guests can use in the parks. It’s part of the My Disney Experience app, so you can use it on your smartphone. Basically, Genie is a planning tool that helps you organize your day and plan for what you want to do in the parks. ©Disney You can make dining reservations and mobile order, check wait times on rides around the parks, and get recommendations for rides and restaurants. Genie+ The Disney Genie+, however, is NOT free. It’s essentially the replacement for the FastPass system in Disney World. Lightning Lane Entrance ©Disney Genie+ costs $15 per ticket, per day, and it allows you to reserve your spot at some attractions in the park you’re visiting. If you have Genie+, you can start making reservations (one per person at a time) at 7AM on the day of your visit. Once the time for that reservation has passed, you can make another reservation (and so on). Pirates Lightning Lane Your reservation allows you to skip the standby line and instead use the Lightning Lane (AKA FastPass line) to board the ride faster. Pay-Per-Ride Not all of the rides in Disney World are included in the Genie+. Select rides (usually the most popular ones) are part of Disney’s Individual Attraction Selection, or pay-per-ride. “Simple” they say ©Disney Disney has confirmed that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at Magic Kingdom, Radiator Springs Racers at Disney’s California Adventure, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure at Disney’s California Adventure, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Hollywood Studios, and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT will be part of Pay-Per-Ride. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure For these rides, you can book reservations individually by paying a separate fee. You can buy up to two reservations per ticket each day. And you can make those reservations starting when the park opens if you’re not staying at a Disney World hotel or at 7AM on the day of your visit if you are staying at a Disney World hotel. You do not have to buy Genie+ to use the Pay-Per-Ride feature. There’s so much to see and do right now! Disney hasn’t said what the prices will be for each ride; instead, they said that prices will differ based on the ride and time of year. With that language, we’re assuming there will be surge pricing, with much higher prices at busier times of the year. Our Tips Now that we’ve looked at an overview of each feature, we’ll share our best tips for using these during your vacation. Take Advantage of the Free Genie Feature We also think this will be a great option for first-time visitors as Disney Genie should really be able to help guide you through your day. It will give you suggestions based on your family’s personal wants and needs and can help guide you through the park. ©Disney During your vacation, use Genie to check on ride wait times. There’s a Projected Wait Times feature, which will show you what the wait times might be throughout the day. The expectation is that guests can use that to get on rides with the least possible wait. For example, if you get to the Dumbo ride and see that the wait time is 60 minutes, check the Genie see if Disney is expecting the time to drop in the next few hours. Then, come back later and get on with less of a wait! Still Plan Ahead As Much as Possible Although Genie has projected wait times and can make dining reservations, it’s still best to plan ahead as much as you can. You might want to get to the parks early to try to get on the most popular rides before the wait gets too long. You can make dining reservations 60 days in advance, so do that as early as possible in case the reservations fill up at your favorite restaurants. Crystal Palace But if you weren’t able to get the reservations you were hoping for, this could help if you know which restaurants’ walk-up waitlists are still available. From what we know about the system, Genie should be a supplement to your planning and not a replacement. Link Your Group on My Disney Experience As Soon As Possible All of the new features depend on the My Disney Experience app, so make sure your app is working well before your Disney World trip. Your group’s tickets and park passes should all be linked together on the app. To do this, go to the bottom menu on the My Disney Experience home page and find the three horizontal lines. Scroll down to find the “Link to Account” option, then add the information for each person’s tickets and passes. ©Disney Recently, Disney made a change to the virtual queues where you can add your group up to one hour before the queue opens. We recommend doing this as well to make the process easier when 7AM (or 1PM for the later queue) opens for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure! Try for Virtual Queue Boarding Passes First, Then Consider Pay-Per-Ride Some of the rides that will be on the Pay-Per-Ride feature — like Rise of the Resistance, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and WEB Slingers: a Spider-Man Adventure — also use virtual queues. As of right now, Rise of the Resistance has changed to a standby line, but the virtual queue may come back. (Disney has said the virtual queue is paused right now.) ©Disney Virtual queues will continue on the other rides even when Pay-Per-Ride starts. As of right now, it seems like you should try getting a virtual queue reservation first (which you can make at 7AM on the day of your visit). Virtual Queue Return You might be able to get on the ride without paying! If you’re not able to get a reservation, check Pay-Per-Ride to see how much that reservation would cost. Then weigh the cost with how much you want to ride. If it’s worth it to you, you can pay then and still get on the ride. Remember that you can also try for a virtual queue boarding pass again in the afternoon, at 1PM. Check Out the Extra Features on Genie+ If You Buy It The main feature on Genie+ is that you can book Lightning Lane reservations at some rides in each park. But you should also check out the other features available — like Audio Experiences and PhotoPass Augmented Reality Lenses. ©Disney The Audio Experiences sound like guided tours in Disney World, with commentary from Imagineers and behind-the-scenes facts about attractions in the parks. And maybe you’ll want to plan some time to explore the Augmented Reality lenses by taking pictures in different locations around the park. Try to Make Genie+ Reservations as Early In the Day as Possible If you do buy Genie+, try to make your ride reservations early in the day. You can only have one reservation at a time, so try not to book your first one for 5PM if you’ll be in the parks at 9AM. Haunted Mansion Lightning Lane Is it really worth the $15 for each person to just get on one or two rides? Try to time your rides so that you get the most possible out of your trip. Buy Genie+ Strategically If you’re buying Genie+ ahead of time — when you buy your tickets or vacation package — then you have to buy Genie+ for every day of your trip. No matter what, you can’t make ride reservations until 7AM on the day of your visit. ©Disney BUT you can choose to buy Genie+ for just a single day if you buy it on the day of your visit. This is a good option if you don’t want to pay quite so much, because you might not need Genie+ in every park. For example, EPCOT doesn’t have a ton of rides, so there won’t be a lot of options for ride reservations anyways. Since you won’t get as much out of Genie+ there, you might not want to pay for it. Other parks — like Hollywood Studios — have quite a few popular rides, and Genie+ could be much more helpful. This will really depend on your family’s wants and needs. So take the time to weigh it out! Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run will be available on Genie+ Buying Genie+ one day at a time is a trade-off because you can’t plan ahead quite as much. But it could definitely save you money if you don’t need it for every park. Really Consider If Genie+ Is Worth It We know $15 doesn’t sound like much for unlimited ride reservations, but Genie+ costs $15 per person, per day. If you’re traveling with a large group for a multi-day trip, that can get expensive. Weigh the cost with how many people are in your group and how many rides you want to go on. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Do the same with the Pay-Per-Ride feature. Although we don’t know yet how much each ride reservation will cost, we’re expecting the cost to go up during busy times and on more popular days. These little costs add up quickly, and you don’t want to look back after your vacation and realize you spent way more money than you meant to. Splash Mountain Lightning Lane BUT some of the rides are really cool, and you might not want to miss them if that’s a priority to you. Just make sure you plan for the costs before your trip so it’s not too much of a surprise! Don’t Forget that Standby Lines Are Still a Thing Standby lines will still be available in Disney World! You can always choose to wait in line for almost any ride (excluding the ones with virtual queues). Use the free Genie feature to check on wait times, and if the line is supposed to be short at a certain time, take advantage of that. Standby Line Sign If you plan to wait in the standby line, consider getting to the parks early and go to the most popular rides first. Chances are, you’ll get on at least one good ride before the crowds get too big. The same might be the case late at night as well! Consider Staying at a Disney World Hotel Guests staying at Disney resorts, the Swan and Dolphin hotels, or Shades of Green can purchase Pay-Per-Ride reservations at 7AM instead of when the park opens. That gives you a lot of extra time to book your spot on some of the most popular rides before the reservations run out. If this is important to you, then you might want to consider staying at a Disney World hotel. Disney’s Dolphin Resort Hotel Hopefully this helps you as you navigate the new changes in Disney World vacation planning. Our tips might change as we experience and navigate this for ourselves, so keep following DFB for more updates and info! Click Here to Read the Simplest Explanation Possible of the Disney Genie Walt Disney World 50th Anniversary Details and Info Click HERE for Your Guide to Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Celebration See Everything That Has Been Announced For Disney World’s 50th Anniversary Check Out Everything Happening in Disney World on October 1st, 2021 Click Here to See The 50 Best Ways to Celebrate Disney World’s 50th Anniversary What Does Hotel Availability and Pricing Look Like for Disney World’s 50th Anniversary? Here Are the 5 News Bombs You May Have Missed Related to the 50th Anniversary Celebrations! Check Out 10 Things You Need to Bring If You’re Going to Disney World for the 50th Anniversary See How Each of Disney World’s Park Icons Will Transform During the 50th Anniversary Celebrations! Join the DFB Newsletter To Get All the Latest Disney News Delivered Right to Your Inbox Click here to Subscribe How are you planning to use the Genie on your next Disney vacation? Tell us in the comments! The post Our NEW Tips for Planning a Trip to Disney World with Disney Genie first appeared on the disney food blog. View the full article